Officer Frank Barbagiovanni's complaint about how the city handled his medical coverage claim has touched off fresh controversy at the police department, where the union is rallying officers to demand changes.

The union leadership circulated a memo to its members this week calling the city's treatment of Barbagiovanni "shameful." It says New Britain has wrongly denied medical claims and refused to pay for treatment in the past, and adds: "We can no longer endure this."

City attorneys and Chief John Gagliardi are to meet Friday morning with the union and Barbagiovanni to try to resolve the matter. City officials describe the dispute as a misunderstanding, and say the city so far has paid all of Barbagiovanni's medical expenses — blood tests that show no sign of illness.

Barbagiovanni performed CPR on an unconscious boy in November and wanted the city to guarantee that it would provide worker's compensation coverage if he later developed a communicable disease because the boy vomited on him. Instead, Barbagiovanni got a notice saying the city would contest any future claim.

The wording appears to say that CPR isn't considered part of his job. Mayoral aide Phil Sherwood contended that it is a misreading of the memo, and has said New Britain would "have his back" if Barbagiovanni becomes ill. But the officer has gotten no such guarantee in writing.

King declined to discuss the specific case, but said CPR is part of police work and confirmed the city would cover an officer who proves an injury or illness was caused by doing CPR on duty.

At least one similar case has surfaced. An officer who recently quit to take a police job in Avon got a similar rejection notice recently after reporting that she had been stuck by a hidden needle while patting down a drug-addicted female prisoner. King noted that in her case, too, the city has paid for testing that showed no illness.